ARTIST BIO

Dr. Apoorva Jayaraman

Dr. Apoorva Jayaraman is a Bharatanatyam artiste based in Chennai with a multidimensional interest in the classical arts. Apart from being a noted performer, steadily carving her own niche in the world of Bharatanatyam, she is invested in the wider canvas of art as a professional practice and an academic discipline.

She was recently awarded the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar by the Sangeeta Natak Academy, Ministry of Culure, GoI for the year 2023–24. She is a Junior Fellow of the Ministry of Culture (GoI) researching The Role of Art in Knowledge Advancement. She has conceived and curated noteworthy dance-related conferences called Navadhisha - New Voices in Dance (@navadhisha), and fosters an active interest in Arts Policy in India. She has recently also edited and published a book called “Why do we dance?” with contributions from many young thinkers and artists in the field. She is the co-founder of RootEd Foundation (@therootedfoundation) that is working in the areas of audience development and dance awareness. Her most recent venture is The Study Room, an alternate arts education space, endeavoring to bring the principles of traditional arts education into the virtual classroom and a modern mind space.

She holds a PhD in Astronomy from the University of Cambridge and a Masters degree in Physics from University of Oxford.

Deepta Seshadri

Deepta Seshadri is a Bharatanatyam practitioner, performing artist and dance educator from Bangalore, India currently based in Dallas, Texas. She balanced her career as a corporate lawyer alongside pursuing the art form with rigour. A thoughtful, articulate, and innovative artist, Deepta is now committed to pushing the boundaries of Bharatanatyam to cater to wider audiences. While she is steadfast in her approach to the form and technique, she is also keen to explore contemporary themes and interdisciplinary approaches within the framework of the art form and her recent projects and choreographic works (Godha’s Garland, Roots and Routes, Parithāpam) are reflective of this.

With excellent command over rhythm, technique, and subtle emotive capabilities, she performs extensively in India and the US. Some of her notable performances include those for Bridges Festival by Garage Arts Project in Dallas, SEEDS by Agora Artists in Dallas, Barnstorm Dance Fest, Houston, for Krishna Gana Sabha, Trinity Arts Festival, Natyarangam, ICCR, among others in India.  

Mentored by her teacher Smt. Indira Kadambi from India, Deepta is a recipient of the prestigious “Natya Chemmal” title from Trinity Fine Arts, the “Scholarship to Young Artiste” program of the Indian Government and is a “Graded Artiste” of Doordarshan, India. She was the recipient of a grant funded by the City of Dallas, Office of Arts and Culture and Agora Artists in 2024 for which she premiered new interdisciplinary exploratory work.

Apart from being a passionate educator herself, Deepta is also enthusiastic about initiatives that bring the community together. She runs local focus groups to bring dancers together over rigorous practice and works as a freelance arts management consultant.

Neha Asuri

Neha Asuri is a student of Guru Smt. Akila Subramanyam, director of Salangai Arts, Virginia, USA. For the past 13 years, she has been passionately practicing this divine art form under the able guidance of her Guru and completed her arangetram in July 2022. Over the past ten years, she has competed and won awards at various prestigious national Bharathanatyam competitions, such as Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana, New Jersey Natya Sangamam, and Saptami Foundation.

Neha has been blessed to have had the opportunity to perform in esteemed sabhas in India during the Chennai Margazhi season, and on stages in the US - for example, Kartik Fine Arts, Bhavan’s Natyotsav, Tapas Natyotsav, Saptami Sabha, Cleveland Aradhana Festival productions, NJNS Vasantha Utsavam, and Natyanjali festivals in South India. Neha is a 2022 YoungArts Award Winner in the world dance-classical Indian dance category. She is trained in Carnatic vocal and is currently undergoing training on the nattuvangam from her guru. Neha is currently a rising sophomore at Cornell University majoring in Biological Sciences on a pre-medicine track, and aspires to continue dancing her whole life.

Shreyaa Suresh

Shreyaa Suresh is a Bharatanatyam dancer with 22 years of training under Guru Smt. Anitha Guha at Bharathanjali in Chennai. A Columbia University graduate now based in New York City, she teaches and performs with Aalokam Dance School and Company. Shreyaa has performed leading roles in her guru’s renowned dance dramas and appeared at major venues across India, including Chennai’s Margazhi season, Mumbai’s Shanmukhananda Sabha, and stages in Jaipur, Delhi, and Hyderabad. In the U.S., she has collaborated with New Victory Theatre, Samsaw Dance, and Prayukti Arts. Shreyaa is also a theatre artist, educator, and academic exploring decolonial performance studies.